About This Book

A lively twist on the immigrant story When John Bardsley leaves England to seek his fortune in America, he finds that his new city, Philadelphia, is crawling with inchworms! No one seems to know how to get rid of them, and the American birds turn up their beaks at the thought of eating any. Recalling his rescue of a very hungry baby sparrow when he was a boy, John comes up with a novel way to solve the problem, and he once again sets sail across the ocean in order to save his new city - with some help from his feathered friends. Using detailed illustrations, Mordicai Gerstein tells the little-known story of how sparrows came to America and how John Bardsley came to be known as "Sparrow Jack."

About the Authors or Illustrators

Even as a small child Mordicai Gerstein dreamed of being an artist. He spent much of his youth painting and exploring the world of art in Los Angeles and eventually went to the Chouinard Institute of Art. Gerstein is not only an accomplished children's book author and illustrator, he is a painter, sculptor and award-winning designer and director of animated films.